


Courage of Stars

by glyphsbowtie



Series: show me where my armour ends [2]
Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Venom (Comics)
Genre: Angst, BDSM, Bad Jokes, Breathplay, Coffee Shops, College Student Peter, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Sexual Roleplay, Smut, Steve and Bucky are married, Superheroes, Verbal Humiliation, barista peter, playing fast and loose with canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-07-01 21:48:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15782763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glyphsbowtie/pseuds/glyphsbowtie
Summary: Peter and Wade are just finding their feet in their new relationship when a series of brutal, bloody murders demands their attention. Can they make their dysfunctional partnership work while trying to figure out what, exactly, is going on with Eddie Brock?





	1. Shape of You

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! This probably won't make sense if you haven't read the first one.
> 
> This first chapter is almost entirely smut with no plot. Sorry.

Like all good love stories, this one starts with some consensual kinky sex.

It's the day before Christmas Eve and Peter Parker, our hero, is handcuffed to a bed, dressed entirely in his Spider-Man costume. His face is still masked, hiding his identity from Wade Wilson, who is currently leaning over him dressed in the entirety of his Deadpool costume.

Peter tugs at the handcuffs but it's useless; he rather suspects that Wade obtained them specifically for the purpose of attaching Peter to his bed. God only knows what they're made of- or where he got them.

“Wriggling is going to get you nowhere, Webs,” Wade purrs, running a long, thick finger down Peter's abs, making him shiver. “Just tell me what I want to know and I'll let you go.”

Peter swallows. He's already hard; being attached to Wade’s bed, helpless beneath the unpredictable mercenary, is an erotic situation. “I won't tell you,” he says.

Wade's finger drifts up his abs again, softly brushing them, barely touching Peter, really. Peter is absolutely aware of the power rippling in Wade's muscles. “We can do this the fun way or the even more fun way, Spidey,” Wade says, gently, bending down to press the words right against Peter's ear.

And- God damn it- Peter  _ wants _ to please Wade. On some level, his body craves it. His instinct is to spread his legs and accept whatever Wade wants to do to him. He fights against it. “You're not getting what you want out of me, Deadpool,” he snarls.

“Looks like you've chosen the even more fun way,” Wade replies simply.

His fingers ghost over the edge of Peter's mask, lifting it slowly away from his skin.

“Don't,” Peter gasps. The cold air touching his exposed throat makes his skin erupt into goosebumps. “Deadpool, please-”

“Hush,” Wade whispers. “I want to see what you've got under here.”

And he pulls the mask away. Peter tries to turn his face away from Wade, but the mercenary locks two strong fingers around his chin and holds his face still for inspection. Peter breathes shallowly, his heart racing, his body yearning to give into Wade's control as the larger man stares down at him.

“You're such a pretty little thing,” Wade tells him. “No wonder you have to wear that mask. Everyone would want to eat you up if they could see you.”

Peter shivers.

“But you're mine, do you understand?” Wade continues, his voice dropping low, like thick, dark honey. “And you're going to be good for me, aren't you? I can see that you want to be.”

Peter lets out a small moan. It's automatic. He finds himself nodding without really thinking about it.

“So,” Wade says, pulling off his own mask to reveal the strangely beautiful face beneath. There's a predatory gleam in his hazel eyes. “So, Webs, tell me what I want to know: what's your name?”

It's on the tip of Peter's tongue; he just wants to please Wade, wants to be good and let the terrifying older man do whatever he wants to him. Wade hasn't even touched him yet, not really, but he's painfully hard. Peter bites his lip, hard, and forces himself to concentrate. He can't let Wade Wilson win. “Go fuck yourself,” he manages.

There's a pause, and then, to his horror, Wade lets out a dark, sinister laugh. He trails those thick, gloved fingers down Peter's cheek, bringing them to rest lightly around his throat. The threat is clear. “I'm sorry, baby, do you want to repeat that?”

The weight of his fingers at Peter's throat is intoxicating. Peter's vaguely aware that his hips are moving. “Go  _ fuck _ yourself, Deadpool.”

Wade's fingers close, and Peter gasps, suddenly unable to breathe; he's light-headed and scared, and very fucking turned on.

Wade presses his lips against Peter's ear. He lets go of his throat suddenly and Peter takes a grateful, shuddering breath. “Let's be clear, baby, there's only one person I'm fucking tonight, and it's not myself.”

Peter whimpers. He feels strangely relaxed, yet absolutely every nerve in his body is tingling in a confusing, heady mixture of wanting and fear.

Wade’s fingers trail down Peter’s body, gently touching his throbbing, aching erection through his suit, eliciting another whimper from his captive. His fingers continue down, skimming across Peter’s thigh, and Peter’s legs fall open automatically.

“Hmm,” Wade says, mock-thoughtfully. “My good little slut, aren’t you? Just tell me what I want to know and I’ll give you what you want, Webs.”

It’s getting harder to resist the urge to give into Wade. His fingers come back up, caressing Peter through the fabric of his suit again, firm enough to cause pleasure to shudder through Peter’s body, but not hard enough to get him off.

“Please,” Peter whispers, shamefully, aware that he’s lost.

“Please  _ what,  _ baby boy?” Wade asks, his fingers continuing their maddening dance across Peter’s cock.

“Please fuck me,” Peter moans.

“You know my condition, baby.”

“It’s Peter Parker. My name is Peter Parker,” Peter cries out, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Good boy,” Wade praises, and his words are like a jolt of electricity to Peter’s already pulsating erection. “Good boy, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“No.”

“You want to be good for me, don’t you?”

Peter feels as though he’s floating. He nods, hard, and realises as he does so that he’s crying; there are wet tracks down his cheeks.

“I’m going to release your hands, Peter,” Wade says softly. “I am trusting you to be still and good. Can you do that, baby?”

Peter nods again. He’ll do  _ anything  _ Wade says now, as long as Wade touches him. Wade releases his wrists and rubs them gently for a moment before peeling away Peter’s suit completely, his strong hands making easy work of the spandex and tossing it lightly to the floor, leaving Peter naked before him.

Peter lies still, as he was instructed. He’s vaguely aware that he’s flushed and sweaty as Wade inspects his body, his dick desperate for touch now.

Wade lifts him easily, settling Peter on his lap. The sensation of leather against his naked skin is almost too much for Peter, who whimpers.

“Hush,” Wade soothes, his mouth at Peter’s ear again, his lips soft. “I’m going to make you feel good now, Peter.”

“Please,” Peter murmurs.

“You don’t have to beg. Not today, baby.” Wade’s gloved fingers take his cock suddenly in a firm grip, and he starts to pump, his hand smoothly moving up and down. Peter is already slick with pre-cum, and the sensation is almost overwhelming.

Peter throws his head back, crying out, bucking his hips up to increase the glorious pressure. He can feel Wade’s own hot, hard cock through the leather he’s sitting on, and he is distantly proud of the effect he’s having on the mercenary. He feels Wade’s hips rock beneath him.

“I can’t… I’m going to…” Peter moans. “Can I…?”

“Yes, you can, Peter.”

Peter finishes with a strangled, loud shout, his body going rigid and quaking in Wade’s arms. His fingers bite into Wade’s shoulders as bliss washes over him. Wade is also shuddering beneath him.

Wade lies back, pulling Peter with him, pushing Peter’s sweaty hair back from his forehead. Peter’s heart rate slowly decreases, and he relaxes into Wade’s embrace, closing his eyes.

“You did so good, Peter,” Wade murmurs into his forehead. “Was that okay? Are you hurt?”

“Not hurt at all,” Peter manages to reply, and the words come out thick. His whole body seems like a separate thing from his mind. “Was good. Did you…?”

“Yes. So I have the novel experience of being covered in ejaculate both inside and outside my suit.” Wade sounds amused. “I rather thought you’d last longer before giving in and telling me your name, Webs.”

Peter snorts. “No, you didn’t,” he replies, fondly.

Wade shifts him, so that Peter is lying on his side, facing his boyfriend. Wade’s eyes are bright. “Was it as good as you thought it would be?”

Peter nods. “Yeah. Thanks, Wade.”

“Don’t thank me, you little asshole, that makes it creepy. You know that any time you want to have weird, kinky sex, you only have to ask.”

“Deal. I love you, Wade.”

“Love you too, Webhead.” Wade is grinning.

Peter stretches languidly. “What time is it?” he asks.

“About eleven thirty, I think. Nearly lunchtime.”

“Oh, fuck, I’m going to be late for work!” Peter exclaims. He leaps from Wade’s bed, suddenly anxious.

Wade watches him open his rucksack and look for some clean clothes with a neutral expression. “You know, you could just call in sick,” he suggests, lightly.

Peter pulls a clean shirt and jeans from his bag, shaking his head. “You know I can’t. I’ve barely been to work at all for weeks. I need the money.”

Wade nods, pretending to be serious. “Yeah, I mean, it’s not like you have a rich, charismatic, sexy, older boyfriend who could help you on that front-”

“Don’t start,” Peter tells him, raising an eyebrow. Wade first suggested this a few nights ago, when Peter was quite drunk at Steve and Bucky’s wedding, and Peter made his position on it clear.

Wade raises his hands in defeat. “Want me to join you in the shower?”

Peter smiles. “You know I’ll never get to work if you do that.”

He heads into Wade’s bathroom, turning on the shower and climbing beneath the hot water, avoiding the veritable army of rubber ducks his boyfriend keeps in here. He closes his eyes, feeling content and happy, and lathers up with some of the shower gel. He tries not to think too hard about Wade’s fingers on him.

Climbing out, he reaches for one of Wade’s towels, rubbing himself dry quickly and pulling his clothes on. He wipes the steam from the mirror and tries to tame his wild hair before heading back to Wade’s bedroom.

His boyfriend is still lounging on the bed, his sticky suit still on. He grins at Peter when he returns.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Wade,” Peter says with a tender smile, gathering up his possessions and shoving them into his bag.

Wade grins. They’re both thinking the same thing- that they’re very likely to see each other tonight. They keep trying to take a night off from each other. Peter had gone for a drink with Ned last night, and Wade went to see his friend Weasel, but they’d ended up on the phone together after midnight and Peter had grabbed his stuff and swung over, falling into bed with his addictive partner.

He’s going to see MJ and Ned tonight. Wade is going for a drink with Clint Barton. The pair of them seem to be getting on very well at the moment, and after causing absolute chaos at the Barnes-Rogers wedding, they arranged to have Christmas drinks.

Peter looks over at the stack of photos Natasha gave him after the wedding with a fond smile, and he lifts them automatically to look at them. His favourite is on top of the pile; it’s him and Wade, both bright-eyed and grinning, squeezed together and looking happily into the camera. Beneath this one is a photo of Wade with his jacket off, his shirt sleeves rolled up as he arm-wrestles Logan. Peter can’t even remember who had won that madness. The third photo is of Peter, inexplicably shirtless, giving Thor a piggy-back. The fourth is of (and Peter starts laughing again as soon as he sees it) Wade Wilson holding up a metal arm above his head like a trophy; Clint has his arms around Wade’s waist and is grinning at the camera, and Bucky is looming behind them with a furious expression.

“That was a good wedding, wasn’t it?” Peter asks.

Wade smiles at him. “Getting inspiration, baby?”

Peter feels a nervous stab. It is way, way,  _ way  _ too soon to think about things like that with his infuriating boyfriend, but he does love the irritating bastard. It’s not unpleasant to imagine a future with him. He grins. “There’s no way you’re going to steal Bucky’s arm at our wedding, you asshole.”

“But imagine what we could do with it,” Wade says, with a suggestive smirk. “Although it probably has been inside America’s sweetheart, Steve Rogers.”

“Wade, you are disgusting,” Peter says, blushing. “I’m going to work.”

Wade laughs as he heads for the door. “Bye, baby! Love you!”


	2. Don't Shoot Me Santa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up taking the long weekend off but I'm back!  
> It's still VERY FESTIVE and I'm not a little bit sorry.

Work goes quickly, thankfully. Peter is in a pleasant daze, unable to wipe the wide grin from his face. Cecilia, his manager, smirks knowingly at him all day. The coffee shop is busy with people who have been doing some last minute Christmas shopping, and the constant activity keeps Peter occupied for his entire shift.

He thinks about his own Christmas shopping. He’s sorted out his gifts for everyone except Wade, and he still has no idea what to get his natural disaster of a boyfriend. Wade lives simply despite his wealth, and he is always dressed simply when he’s out of his Deadpool suit. Peter’s never seen him wearing jewellery. The only things he owns which seem to be precious to him are his weapons, and Peter’s not comfortable buying him more of those.

He texts Clint on his break:  _ What do you think I can get Wade for Christmas? Please help! _

Clint’s response makes him turn crimson:  _ Yourself, naked and wearing some strategically placed mistletoe? _

To be fair, Wade would definitely be into that.

After his shift, Peter walks out into the cold, dark evening. The street is illuminated by Christmas lights. It’s beautiful and peaceful. Peter holds onto the straps of his backpack as he walks home, excited for all of the lovely plans he has over the next few days. He’s seeing MJ and Ned tonight. It’s the annual Avengers Christmas party tomorrow night, and then he and Wade are going to stay with Aunt May for a couple of days.

It’s going to be a wonderful festive season.

He’s smiling to himself when he unlocks his apartment door. He’s barely been here for the past few nights, instead spending all of his time at Wade’s. Going back and forwards between them is a pain, to be honest; he keeps forgetting random things and forgetting where he’s left things. But it’s worth it to wake up next to Wade every morning.

As if Wade could sense him thinking about him, he calls Peter at that moment.

“Hey, asshole,” Peter says, answering his phone and heading to his bathroom to run a bath.

“Why is that your nickname for me? It’s not very nice.”

“Maybe not. It’s accurate, though,” Peter grins, squirting some bubble bath beneath the tap. “How was your day?”

“It was fine. I’ve not really done much, to be honest. I’m just thinking about getting ready to go see Clint. How was yours?”

“It was busy, but good.” Peter slides out of his trousers before unbuttoning his shirt. “I’m just going to have a bath then go and meet MJ and Ned.”

“Do you think that dickhead Harry’s going to be there?” Wade asks.

Peter has been trying not to think about it. He bites his lip fretfully. He hasn’t seen Harry since they had dinner together a couple of weeks ago, when he revealed that he knew that Wade Wilson was Deadpool. Peter still hasn’t decided if Harry’s genuine about not remembering their former association. For MJ’s sake, he wants to believe so, but Tony finding Oscorp technology in Pharaoh’s possession doesn’t make it look good. “I hope not,” he sighs.

“If he is, let me know.”

“You cannot come and murder him if he is, Wade.”

He can almost hear Wade rolling his eyes. “I’ve had his address for days, baby boy. I don’t need you to tell me where he is so I can stab him. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

Peter smiles despite himself. “No murder, Wade. I’d like to think that Clint will keep you on the straight and narrow, but I’ve seen how suggestible he gets after a drink.”

“It’s why we get on so well,” Wade says. “I better let you have your bath. Love you, baby.”

“Love you, too.”

Peter puts the phone down and sinks into the hot, bubbly water with a contented sigh. Wade is an absolute nightmare, but he is  _ Peter’s  _ absolute nightmare. He’s almost forgiven his delightful boyfriend for lying about his identity for so long. One thing Peter has learned about Wade is that the guy has very low self-esteem, especially considering how cocky he can be.

He gets washed, his mind wandering to this morning. He remembers being tied to Wade’s bed, the feel of Wade’s hands on him, and swallows hard. He needs to stay focused. Over the past couple of years, he’s been late to almost every meeting with his friends, and he is determined to be on time today.

He climbs lightly out of the bath, dries himself and throws on a smart pair of dark jeans and a dark green sweater. He has his typical fight with his hair before grabbing his stuff and throwing on his coat and shoes.

It’s cold outside. The streets are full of people despite the fact it’s almost eight; it’s the day before Christmas Eve, after all, and everyone is rosy-cheeked and excited. Peter thinks back for a moment to the chaos and fear in the streets only a few weeks before when Pharaoh was at large. Thank God that’s all sorted. He’s even reluctantly glad that Wade put a bullet in the guy. It’ll never be Peter’s preferred method of solving their problems, but he can absolutely understand the temptation.

He’s meeting MJ and Ned at Josie’s Bar, and it’s a fair walk from his apartment. He huddles closely inside his coat and tries not to think too hard about Wade and Clint getting into mischief.

Finally, he reaches the bar. Ned is waiting outside, wearing a big scarf and a wide smile. He throws his arms around Peter in greeting, and Peter laughs fondly at the display of affection.

“You okay, Ned?” Peter asks.

“I’m  _ drunk,”  _ Ned replies happily. “MJ and Harry are inside but I felt like a bit of a third wheel so I came out to wait for you.”

_ Harry is here.  _ Peter feels his stomach drop a little but he’s determined not to ruin Ned and MJ’s night. He forces a wide smile. “Shall we join them?”

Ned grins and leads him inside. The bar is full of merrily drunk patrons celebrating Christmas. Shakin’ Stevens is blaring out of the speakers and the room smells of perfume and beer. Peter spots MJ and Harry. They’re leaning against the wall, deep in conversation. Harry’s arm is around MJ’s shoulder and he’s smiling down at her fondly; he’s wearing a Captain America Christmas jumper, his handsome face soft as he looks down at Peter’s best friend.

It’s hard to imagine that this is the man responsible for all of the shit a few weeks ago.

He heads to the bar. “Can I have a lager please?”

The barman looks at him closely for a second, apparently trying to decide whether or not to ask him for proof he’s over twenty one. He nods and goes to retrieve the lager. As he does so, Peter pulls out his phone and drops Wade a quick message:  _ He is here but no murder necessary. Hope you and Clint are having fun. _

Ned has his arm around Peter still. “Sending your lover a message?” he asks, slurring slightly.

“Shut up, Ned.” Peter takes his lager and takes a long drink.

They head over to MJ and Harry. MJ’s eyes sparkle with glee when she sees Peter, and she throws her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek. Harry pulls Peter close next, his body hard and narrow in Peter’s arms. He smells of expensive aftershave.

“It’s so lovely to see you again, Peter!” he exclaims.

And he sounds like he means it. His smile is genuine and his eyes are locked on Peter’s for a moment before he looks down at MJ again.

“You okay, Peter?” MJ asks softly. She’s referring to all of his Spidey shenanigans against Pharaoh, but she’s trying to be subtle in front of Harry.

“I am  _ excellent,”  _ he says firmly. He thinks of Wade and his mouth twists into a grin.

“How are things with your man? Wade Wilson, wasn’t it?” Harry asks.

“Really good, thanks,” Peter replies, trying not to overthink Harry’s interest in his boyfriend. “How are you guys?”

“Really good,” MJ replies, beaming up at Harry.

“Still single,” Ned replies with a sigh.

“We’ll find you someone, pal,” Peter says, ruffling Ned’s hair fondly. “It’s Christmas!”

“Absolutely,” Harry agrees. “Got to be some maneaters out tonight.”

Ned snorts. He looks between them and shakes his head. “I think we should get shots,” he says. “That’ll make me feel better about my dating situation.”

“I’ve just got a beer,” Peter replies, shaking his head.

“I’ll do shots with you,” Harry laughs, giving MJ a kiss on the temple and following Ned to the bar.

Peter stands with MJ, the pair of them watching Ned and Harry approach the bar. Peter glances down at MJ, watching the way she looks at Harry. He’s never seen her look so fond of any man. She is in love with him.

He tries to see it from her point of view. The guy is rich, handsome and with a tragic backstory- although, who knows what version of the truth he’s told her? He presumably hasn’t mentioned Spider-Man, otherwise she would have asked him. Of course, he apparently doesn’t remember Spider-Man at all.

“He’s so lovely,” MJ sighs.

Peter tries to smile. “You really like him, don’t you?”

“Peter, I love him.” She looks up at him, her eyes ardent and serious.

Peter exhales shakily.

Harry and Ned return, laughing. Ned is clearly quite drunk, his cheeks rosy. There's a glow to Harry's cheek that Peter recognises distantly from their youth, from stolen mouthfuls of rum stolen from Harry's father's liquor cabinet. Peter sighs.

“What are you two talking about?” Harry asks warmly, slipping an arm around each of them.

Peter is momentarily startled by the contact. His eyes feel suspiciously wet. He tries to mask this by taking a mouthful of lager.

There's a hand on his shoulder, and he turns to see a smartly-dressed man with dark glasses and neat, dark hair.

“You okay?” Peter asks him automatically.

“Peter! Buddy!” The man throws his arms around Peter in a familiar fashion. He's carrying a white cane in one hand; he's blind. He presses his mouth close to Peter’s ear. “I need your help,” he whispers. “I'm a friend of Wade's.”

Peter's senses aren't pinning this guy as a threat. He forces a smile. “It's good to see you, pal!” he exclaims.

“Can I borrow Peter for a moment?” the stranger asks MJ, Ned and Harry.

“Sure,” MJ says, looking mildly concerned but softening when Peter nods at her.

He leaves the group, following the blind man, who easily makes his way through the crowd towards a back door.

“I'm warning you, I don't think it's going to look great out here,” the man says.

“What do you mean?” Peter asks, panic rising.

“I stuck my head out before after I heard it. I called Wade and he told me you were here. He's on his way over with Clint Barton.”

“How do you know him?” Peter asks.

“My name's Matt Murdock. I'm Daredevil.”

Peter has, of course, heard of Daredevil, although they've never met. “I'm Peter Parker. Spider-Man.”

“Yeah, I heard you and Wade were together.” Matt exhales.

They've reached the door. Peter opens it, his hands trembling.

There's half a body lying in the snowy alleyway. The pure white blanket is stained scarlet. It's glowing almost silver in the moonlight.

“Oh fuck, what happened?” Peter breathes.

The body is… just a torso. There's no head, no legs, no arms, and where they were once attached there are savage teeth marks.

“I don't know,” Matt tells him. “I was inside the bar and heard something. But I got out here too late.”

Peter hasn't even managed to move. His whole body is shaking. What on earth could do this to a human being? “Did you call the police?”

“Yes. But I think we need to do what we can to find whoever or whatever did this.”

“I haven't got my suit,” Peter says.

“Don't worry, baby boy, I've got you covered,” comes a familiar, booming voice. “I just need you to point me in the right direction and I’ll murder this fucker. Or, you know, mildly maim.”

Peter turns to see Wade striding up the alleyway, dressed fully in his Deadpool attire, heavily armed. Clint is following him, fully armed and looking only a little drunk. He visibly pales and sobers when he sees the body.

“Holy fuck,” Wade says.

“There are no tracks,” Clint says, his voice hollow.

“Merry Christmas, gang,” Matt Murdock says drily.


	3. Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My laptop broke so this took a while to type up on my tablet. It's also a little shorter than planned but the missing scene from the end will just come at the start of the next chapter instead.
> 
> I return to work next week so expect updates to slow a little. Ideally I'm aiming to update at least once a week.
> 
> One of the tags is 'playing fast and loose with canon' and that's really about to come into effect from this chapter. I've taken what I wanted from comic canon (especially with regards to Matt Murdock and Eddie Brock) but also changed and ignored parts that didn't work so just a warning about that.
> 
> Thanks as always for your support :)

Peter sags, exhausted, against Wade as they climb the stairs to his apartment four hours later. They haven’t managed to find the murderer and the city is only a couple of hours away from waking up on Christmas Eve to news of the grizzly attack. Peter feels shaken and uncomfortable whenever he remembers the bloodied, torn flesh.

“You okay, baby?” Wade asks him quietly.

Peter exhales. “I just… I’ve seen a lot of awful things now, but that was…”

Wade squeezes his shoulder. “I know, Webs.”

They enter Wade’s apartment and Peter sheds his clothes numbly, desperate for sleep. He hopes his mind will grant him a break from the horror. What on earth could have caused something so absolutely horrific? He pictures sharp, jagged, cruel teeth and wicked eyes.

Wade watches him, but apparently decides (maybe for the first time in his life) not to comment. They slide into bed together, bodies curling around each other in a way which is intimate and familiar. Peter feels inexplicable comfort from the proximity to Wade, but when he closes his eyes, he can’t remove the images of monsters.

He feels that he’s barely drifted off to sleep when there’s a knock at the front door, loud and long. However, when he opens his eyes, the sky is starting to lighten. It’s the middle of winter, so this means that it’s quite comfortably the morning. Wade is out of bed, pulling on some jogging bottoms and producing a gun from somewhere.

“Stay here, Peter,” he says, his voice low and serious, the way it gets when he is expecting an attack.

Of course, Peter isn’t going to stay in bed, and he slides up, reaching for another pair of Wade’s soft trousers. He hears Wade open the front door.

“You don’t have to point a gun at me,” comes a vaguely familiar voice.

Peter sticks his head out of the bedroom to see Eddie Brock framed in the doorway. The guy is as huge and cross-looking as last time Peter saw him, but he also looks  _ rough;  _ there are dark smudges beneath his eyes, and his unruly hair is sticking up wildly. Wade is still pointing a gun at him, which surprises Peter, since they appeared to be reluctant friends last time.

“Wade?” Peter asks.

“Baby, you remember Eddie Brock, right?” Wade asks, cocking his head but not looking away from Eddie, not lowering the gun.

“Wade, for God’s sake, a gun wouldn’t make any difference anyway, you know that,” Eddie says, sounding mildly amused through his obvious anger. “Can I come in?”

Wade sighs, then lowers the gun, although he doesn’t put it down. “Fine. Come in. But I want you to know I’m not happy with you.”

Eddie rolls his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, Wade, if it was us, I wouldn’t have come over here, would I?”

“Wait,” Peter says, watching Eddie enter and take off his jacket, “if  _ what  _ wasn’t you? What does Wade think you’ve done, Mr Brock?” His senses are heightened, his body reacting the same way it did last time he met the strange reporter.

Brock gives him a long, searching look before his mouth slides into a wide, unsettling smile. “That murder last night, Spider-Man. Nice to see you again, by the way.”

Peter’s mouth has dropped open. “That murder last night? But you couldn’t… I mean, no offense, Mr Brock, but you aren’t quite toothy enough for something like that.”

Eddie’s wide smile doesn’t falter. He glances at Wade before sitting down on the sofa. “You haven’t told him?”

“Haven’t told me what?” Peter asks, suddenly gripped by a strong fear, looking between Eddie and Wade.

Wade sighs again, scratching the back of his head with the gun. His eyes are oddly serious. “It never came up. Plus, I did say I wasn’t going to tell anyone, if you recall.” He’s talking to Eddie, but Peter knows the words are for his benefit.

“I don’t mind you telling Spider-Man. He seems like a good guy.” Eddie Brock is frowning suddenly. “I had no idea if you were trustworthy when we first did all this, you know, Wade. But you helped me, immensely. I do trust you, and I trust whoever you trust.”

Wade looks mildly surprised. “I hope you’re listening, Webs. It isn’t very often that I get such glowing reviews from civilians.”

“Hardly a civilian,” Eddie snorts.

“What on  _ earth _ is going on?” Peter explodes.

Eddie and Wade look at each other, hard, as though engaged in a silent battle. Finally, Wade throws his hands up, the gun still clutched in one.

“Eddie has a… problem. The sort of problem you can’t catch from questionable, unprotected sex. Although… actually, can you?” He looks over at Eddie.

“Fucking hell, Wade,” Eddie exclaims. He takes over the story, looking at Peter. “Matt and Wade helped me a few years ago. You would have still been a kid. I have a… symbiote.”

“A symbiote,” Peter repeats.

“It means-”

“I know what it means,” Peter says, numbly, thinking about college.

“It came from space. I found it. We… live together. Quite literally.” Eddie’s words give Peter the distinct impression that he’s not used to talking about this.

Peter blinks. He doesn’t know whether to laugh or lie down. If Eddie is telling the truth, this is wildly horrifying, something Peter had no reason to believe in or think about before last night. And why would Eddie lie about this? His story about Wade and Matt Murdock helping him seems legitimate.

“Presumably this symbiote is… toothy enough for something like we saw last night,” Peter says softly.

Eddie looks at Wade. “Shall I show him?”

Wade shakes his head. “Fucking hell, Eddie, no. I want the poor kid to be able to get an erection at some point over the festive season.”

Eddie makes a face. “If he can bring himself to physically mate with you, he’d be fine looking at Symby, you ugly asshole.”

“I want to see,” Peter insists. His hands are balled into fists, his whole body on edge.

Wade glares at Eddie. He rarely looks so threatening without his mask on, but his expression is clear, and Eddie shakes his head apologetically at Peter.

“Anyway, what matters is that we  _ didn’t do it,”  _ he says firmly.

“I believe you,” Peter says suddenly, surprising them both. He can’t quite explain why he does believe Eddie Brock; the guy clearly has something  _ very dark _ simmering beneath the surface, something so awful that Wade doesn’t even want Peter to see it, but he’s turned up here clearly looking for their help. That’s not the action of a guilty man. “I believe you, Mr Brock.”

Eddie gives him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Spider-Man.”

“It’s Peter,” Peter tells him, stepping close and offering Eddie his hand to shake. He tries to ignore Wade rolling his eyes. “Peter Parker.”

Eddie takes his hand and shakes it; he’s strong, and his palm is hard. “Well, thanks, Peter.”

“So if you didn’t… who the fuck did?” Wade asks.

Eddie frowns. “I don’t know. We know there are others like us, but we don’t know where they are. I guess it could be something else, too.”

“Well, the thought of there being more of you has absolutely  _ ruined _ my Christmas Eve vibe, if I’m honest,” Wade tells Eddie. “I’m guessing they’re not all the friendly, cuddly variety of horrible, toothy monster like you?”

Eddie shrugs. “No idea. I came here for your help, Wade. You know they’re going to blame us.”

“Who is going to blame you?” Peter asks.

Wade makes the face he makes before he tells Peter something he knows his boyfriend isn’t going to like. “The Avengers,” he says slowly.

Peter swallows. “Why would the Avengers blame Mr Brock?”

There is a long pause. Wade looks at Eddie, who is looking at his own knees, his face suddenly pale. There is real sadness on his handsome face for a moment, and Peter’s instinct is to go to him and give him a hug. However, he knows that would be a horrible, dreadful decision. Eddie clearly does not want to be touched right now.

“Because we  _ did  _ kill some people in a very similar fashion a few years ago,” Eddie says finally.

Peter takes a step back. “What?”

“It wasn’t his fault,” Wade says, surprising Peter. “He and… Venom weren’t used to living together.”

“Venom,” Peter repeats.

Eddie doesn’t reply. He has his head in his hands.

“Tony Stark wanted to keep it out of the media. He wanted to imprison Eddie. Matt Murdock and I argued that it wasn’t good justice if we let that happen.” Wade sounds unusually serious. There is an appealing passion in his words. “It was fucking awful, Peter, don’t get me wrong. It takes a lot to make me feel squeamish; I’m used to having to look at my own dick when I touch myself. But this was… something else. But it wasn’t malicious. So I had to defend Eddie.”

Peter gives Wade a small smile. “That’s oddly altruistic,” he says.

“What can I say? I’m not always a hugely insensitive dick.”

“Let’s not go too far,” Eddie says, with a reluctant smile. “Anyway, that was all a few years ago. And we haven’t murdered anyone since.”

“Nobody at all?” Wade asks.

Eddie’s smile is humourless now. “Maybe the odd murderer. Nobody innocent. I promise.”

“I believe you,” Peter repeats. “Maybe we can just go and talk to Tony?”

“Bad idea,” Wade says. “Trust me. If he thinks Eddie did it, he’s not going to let him be free again. He was really, really pissed off about it last time. Eddie, did you not want to go to Matt Murdock for help? You know, rather than turning up at my doorstep.”

“He tried to call me,” Eddie admits, “and his messages were not happy. I thought you were less likely to try to arrest me on sight.”

“Don’t kink-shame Murdock, Eddie,” Wade replies. He stretches and yawns. “Well, what can I do?”

“I’m going to go underground over the festive season. Not literally. If they come asking about me- and you know that they will- I need you to tell them I’ve been out of town for a while.”

Peter instinctively hates this idea; Tony and Steve have both supported him and shown that they can be trusted. Neither has Wade’s somewhat questionable approach to morality, and it seems wrong to keep the truth from them. But Wade is already nodding.

“I mean, you know I  _ am _ an Avenger now, Eddie. It goes against our staunch Avengers code to lie to the boss, but I’ll keep you safe, don’t worry,” Wade says.

“Wade…” Peter murmurs.

“You trust me, right?” Wade asks. He is giving him an intense, serious look.

Peter knows it is going to hurt Wade if he doesn’t agree with him on this. He supposes this should have been something he considered before; after all, they do have very different approaches to things, and this was always going to be an issue down the line. But he forces a smile. It’s Christmas Eve, and he doesn’t want to argue. “Of course,” he says.

Wade’s smile is bright. “Good. We need to keep Eddie away from the Avengers.”


	4. Let's Stay Together

_ Five years ago _

“Look, I’m sorry, but it’s not happening. You can’t  _ do _ this, Stark.” Wade’s words are acid, at odds with the deliberately relaxed pose he’s holding, reclining insolently in the leather chair.

“We don’t want to do this,” Tony Stark replies. He leans forward, his elbows on the glass-topped table, his face serious. He’s talking to Eddie, not to Wade. “We appreciate you coming in, Eddie. It makes things easier.”

“I only came in to tell you what Wade's been telling you for months,” Eddie says, his voice firm. He's sat in the seat next to Wade, who can sense how intently he's focusing on not letting his little problem take over control of his body. “The situation is under control, it's not our fault and I'm not going to let you guys prod at us in a lab.”

Tony clicks his tongue. To his left, Steve Rogers looks glum, his boyish face filled with intense sympathy for Eddie. By the door, Bucky Barnes tightens his grip on his rifle. Wade is wearing jeans and a hoodie, intentionally casual, but he’s carrying three guns and five knives. He is seriously considering what his play will be if this meeting goes south.

[If Eddie loses it, it won’t matter what anyone else’s play is.]

This is inarguably true. Wade has seen Venom several times, and gone up against him more than once. If the slimy symbiote suspects that Eddie is in danger, it’s going to take over and they’ll all be fucked.

“Look, we all want what’s best for the city,” Steve tries, his deep, honeyed tones soothing. “I give you my word that nothing unpleasant will happen to you, Eddie. Dr Banner is very sympathetic towards your… problem. We just want to help.”

“I don’t  _ need _ any help,” Eddie snaps. “I came to tell you to stop trying to find me. I’m not interested in working with you or helping you. I’m not a hero. I’m just a normal guy who ended up in this situation.”

“You know we can’t just let you walk back out onto the streets, Eddie,” Tony sighs. “That’s just the way it is.”

The door bursts open. Everyone turns to stare at the figure standing in the doorway, the figure apparently absolutely unfazed by the rifle Bucky Barnes is pointing at him. He’s a small, slender man, his muscular body hidden by the smart black suit he’s wearing. He has inky hair and dark, round glasses, and he’s carrying a white stick.

“Daredevil, how the hell do you keep getting in here?” Tony asks, sounding reluctantly impressed.

“This time was simple,” Matt Murdock replies, a cocky smile twisting his handsome face. “I merely told them that I was going to call the Bugle if they didn’t let me in. I’m not here as Daredevil, Tony, I’m here as Matthew Murdock, defense lawyer, and I’m representing my client, Edward Brock.”

“This isn’t a court of law, Murdock,” Tony replies. “The guy doesn’t need a lawyer. He needs a doctor.”

“Stark, go f-” Eddie begins, but Matt raises a hand.

“It seems to me that you’re in the middle of trying to detain him without permission. Since the crimes he is accused of haven’t been reported to the public, it would be awfully inconvenient if they were revealed now, wouldn’t it?” Matt is still grinning. “Especially if it was revealed that the Avengers knew about them all along.”

“Matt, that’s not fair,” Steve replies. “We all agreed it was best that people didn’t know. A panic would help nobody- least of all Eddie.”

Matt nods. He crosses the room lightly, ignoring the infuriated hiss he earns from Bucky Barnes, and sits down next to Eddie. Wade is struck by an intense desire to reach across Eddie and stroke the lawyer’s hair.

{We’re very lucky he turned up.}

Without Matt, they would have ended up fighting their way out of this. Wade has worked with Matt a lot over the past year, and he really likes the guy. He has a good sense of humour and is ridiculously good at beating up criminals. They’ve been working on the Venom case together since the first killing, and have both spent a lot of time around Eddie recently.

“I agree,” Matt says smoothly. “However, it is clear to both Wade and myself that Eddie poses no threat to the general public. Moreover, he cannot be held accountable for the actions of his counterpart.”

“Forgive me, but who gives a rat’s ass what  _ Wade _ thinks?” Bucky snorts.

[Bucky Barnes is an absolute dickhead.]

{Just stab him.}

Wade tries to ignore the urge to reach for his knife.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t understand what your interest in this is, Wade,” Steve says, his bright eyes burning earnestly into Wade. “Your usual tactic is to murder anything which poses a vague irritation. Why do you care what happens to Eddie?”

His words hurt, but Wade forces his face to stay neutral. “You know me, Cap. I’m a complex character.” The truth is that he likes Eddie, and he even likes Venom. He wouldn’t want either of them to be subjected to hours of torture and testing. He knows what that’s like.

“You’re a liability,” Tony snaps. “And so is Eddie Brock. The only one of you who isn’t is Murdock.”

“You’re going to let Eddie walk out of here,” Matt says, ignoring Tony’s comment. “And you’re all going to leave him alone to live his life. In exchange, Eddie is going to ensure that we have no further Venom-related incidents.”

“I suppose this is the part where you threaten me with what you’ll do if I refuse,” Tony sighs.

“I don’t feel I need to,” Matt shrugs. “I told you when I arrived. We all want this to go away. So let’s make it go away.”

* * *

“I don’t understand,” Peter says, his round brown eyes huge and horrified as he stares at Wade. His hair is sticking up around his face, still wet from his shower. “Mr Stark wanted to… what? Lock Eddie up? Do tests on him?”

“Don’t pull that face, baby,” Wade says, reaching over to smooth Peter’s wet hair, enjoying the feeling of the silky strands beneath his fingers. “He thought it was for the best.”

“I just.... I guess I feel bad for Eddie.”

It’s dark, and they’re standing in Peter’s living room. Outside, a thick veil of snow is falling, perfectly festive. Wade has come over to collect Peter so they can go to the Avengers Christmas party. Telling the story of what happened five years ago has rather made him feel disinclined to go.

[It’s different now.]

Is it really? The Avengers all tolerate him, but there’s a broad range; Clint genuinely likes him, Steve makes a huge effort with him and Natasha is hard to read, but seems to like him. Bruce laughs at his jokes. Bucky is still cold, but he’s always going to be. Tony has been civil for a while, but he’s never going to respect Wade, is he?

“Matt sorted it all out,” Wade tells Peter, wrapping his arms around his small boyfriend and pulling him into his chest. “Look, it’s Christmas, baby. Let’s try and have a nice time.”

Peter nods, his face pressed into Wade’s chest. Wade can feel his warm breath through the thin black sweater he’s wearing.

“It was really nice,” Peter says, his words muffled by fabric. “What you did for Eddie, I mean.”

“I’m a real hero, you know that.”

Peter snorts. He steps back, his fingers trying to tame his hair again. He looks resplendent in a dark green sweater with a white Christmas tree pattern. Wade thinks for the millionth time how lucky he is. He keeps thinking about the first time he saw Peter’s face, when his brain was busy knitting itself together and he opened his eyes to see Spider-Man unmasked. Peter is gorgeous and funny and  _ good,  _ and Wade adores him.

“Shall we go?” Wade asks. “You know I love a good Avengers party. Do you think I can get the Winter Dickhead’s arm again?”

“Be good,” Peter warns him, raising an eyebrow.

They make their way down to the cab with their hands tightly clasped together. Peter’s fingers are cool and soft.

Dopinder babbles happily with Peter all the way to the party, and Wade allows himself to zone out for a while. He knows that Stark is going to try to get information about Eddie’s whereabouts out of him at this party. He promised Eddie he would keep it a secret. So did Peter. But... 

[Don’t start thinking this way.]

… but will  _ Peter _ be able to resist the urge to tell his insufferable surrogate father the truth? If Wade is being honest with himself, he told Peter the story of what happened a few years ago to encourage his naive boyfriend to see Stark in a slightly different light.

Peter  _ adores _ Tony Stark. He loves all of the Avengers, but he has a special, blind sort of affection for Tony. Wade can’t see it. If he was going to choose a surrogate father from that weird group, he thinks he’d probably go for Banner.

{That guy just screams ‘daddy’...}

He’s lost in thought when the cab pulls up, and Peter nudges his shoulder playfully.

“We’re at the facility, Wade,” he says softly.

“Sorry,” Wade says absently. He forces a smile for Dopinder. “Have a fun night, my favourite employee!”

Dopinder rolls his eyes. “I’m your employee? Shouldn’t you… you know, pay me?”

Wade grins and claps him on the shoulder. “Happy holidays, pal!” he says, and climbs out.

They walk inside and follow the trail of festive lights to the elevator. Peter is smiling, his whole body relaxed. Wade wants to press his thumbs into the dimples on his face; he settles for draping his arm around Peter’s shoulders and bending to breathe in the scent of Peter’s shampoo from his soft hair.

“I love you,” Wade tells him.

Peter looks up at him as they step into the elevator. “You okay?” he asks.

Wade presses the button and the doors slide smoothly shut. He bites his lip. “I’m just… nervous. You know I find hanging out with these guys overwhelming.”

Peter reaches up and presses his mouth gently against Wade’s. “You’ll do great, Wade.”

At the touch of Peter’s kiss, Wade feels a hungry desire for his boyfriend stirring in his body. He wraps his hands around Peter’s narrow waist and pulls him closer. “You are so lovely, Webs,” he murmurs, bending to capture Peter’s mouth in a hot, lingering kiss.

Peter is soft and responsive beneath his touch, arching his back, pressing his hips into Wade’s, his mouth warm and wet. His tongue dips lightly into Wade’s mouth, his fingers reaching up to wrap around Wade’s shoulders. Wade trails his teeth across Peter’s plump, luscious bottom lip, nipping the velvety flesh gently.

Peter moans. He’s aroused; Wade can clearly feel the hard length of his cock pressed against his leg.

“Webs,” he murmurs against Peter’s lips.

“Hmm?” Peter asks, his pupils blown as he stares up at Wade.

“The elevator has stopped. The doors are open.” Wade smirks. “About forty people are staring at us.”

With dawning horror, Peter turns slowly to see that Wade was telling the truth. The room of the party is huge and full of people, most of whom Wade recognises now. Clint Barton is holding a beer in one hand and is giving Peter a thumbs up with the other. Bucky Barnes is wearing a disgusted frown. Matt Murdock is smirking quite widely for a guy who can’t even see what’s going on in the elevator.

Tony Stark clears his throat. “Happy holidays, Peter and Wade,” he says, the words strangled.

Natasha cheers and a spontaneous round of applause erupts. Peter turns to glare at Wade, his cheeks scarlet with his infamous blush.

“Welcome to the party, pal,” Wade says, reaching down to ruffle his hair.


	5. Jingle Bells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short one this weekend as I am poorly, so I apologise!
> 
> There's smut at the end so hopefully that makes up for it!

An hour later, Peter has a beer and is feeling rather festive. In this room, it is almost possible to forget the horrifying, jarring vision of that chewed up corpse. Instead of focusing on that, he can think about Christmas, and about his friends. He’s standing in the corner watching Clint and Wade dance around the room, their arms and legs flailing wildly; Clint is drunk, but Wade has no excuse. Peter snorts.

“How are you?” Tony asks to his right.

Peter turns to him. Tony looks serious, his eyes dark behind his glasses. He is holding a glass of water, and Peter realises that he isn’t joining in with the festivities.

“I’m fine. Are you?” Peter replies.

Tony takes a calculated sip of water. “I’m… on edge, Peter. This murder… it reminds me of something which happened five years ago.”

Peter wonders how much he should give away; should he tell Tony that he knows about Eddie Brock? He still doesn’t approve of the way Tony handled the whole thing five years ago, and he trusts Eddie. He takes a drink of beer before replying. “It was awful,” he says.

Tony nods. “You understand we have to do anything we can to stop the killer.”

Peter lets his eyebrows lower. “Of course, Mr Stark. Why wouldn’t I understand that?”

“You know you can call me Tony, right?” Tony says, smiling. “We’ve known each other long enough now, kid.”

A strong surge of emotion powers through Peter, and he feels a delighted smile brighten his face as his eyes grow wet. He loves Tony. The guy isn’t always right, or easy to be around, but he cares about Peter. “Sure, Tony.”

“You haven’t seen Eddie Brock, have you?”

Peter freezes. His stomach is suddenly cold. “Did you just butter me up so that I would tell you about Eddie?”

“So you have seen him.” Tony sips his water again.

“He took a photograph of Wade and I- perhaps you saw it…” Peter chokes out, thinking for a moment about that kiss, about the time before he knew Wade was Deadpool. How long ago that all seems now. He glances at Wade for a moment, watching him lift Clint up onto his shoulders so that the archer can throw breadsticks at Bucky Barnes-Rogers.

“He’s very friendly with Wade Wilson.”

“I don’t think I’d phrase it like that.”

“Has Wade told you about Venom?”

_ Venom.  _ The word makes Peter shiver. “Some of it, yes.”

“Then you know why I need to know where Eddie Brock is.” Tony’s voice almost has a pleading tone; it’s reasonable and soft, cajoling.

Peter is torn for a moment, but he remembers Wade’s belief that they need to protect Eddie. “I’m not sure, but I think he’s been out of town for a while.”

Tony snorts. Before he can speak, Matt Murdock slides up to them, an easy smile on his face. There’s a beer in his hand. He’s wearing a black sweater with a silver Christmas tree on it. His dark hair is perfectly tousled.

“Evening, gentlemen,” he says, in his low, velvety tones. “Do you two not want to join in with the revelry?”

Peter watches as Steve Barnes-Rogers lifts his husband up onto his shoulders so that the former deadly assassin can throw breadsticks back at Clint, who has a cocktail in one hand now. He laughs out loud.

“I want to sleep through this nonsense. Alas, not an option,” Tony says. “We were just discussing your friend, Edward Brock.”

“Eddie? We’re not friends, as such. What about him?”

“I’m sure you can guess,” Tony replies.

Matt shrugs. “I don’t think it was him, Tony.”

“Peter!” Wade shouts suddenly. “We need you over here!”

Peter watches as his boyfriend and Clint are bombarded by breadsticks. Sam Wilson is on Natasha’s shoulders, throwing them towards Wade and Clint, as well as Logan, who is on Thor’s shoulders.

“Gotta go!” he tells Matt and Tony, glad to get out of this awkward conversation.

He leaps up, his palms sticking to the roof. He hears Matt’s laughter following him as he climbs quickly across towards the snack table, shooting down a jet of web from his web-shooters (of course he was wearing them) to secure the box of breadsticks and hold it close to his chest.

“Spider-Man is cheating!” Bruce Banner shouts to nobody in particular.

Peter throws a breadstick down at him, laughing as it hits him in the temple.

* * *

 

Later, Peter is cradled in Wade’s arms on a sofa. He’s feeling quite pleasantly drunk, and Wade is stroking his hair gently. Peter is sprawled across his lap, his face pressed into Wade’s strong chest. Clint is asleep next to Wade, his head on Wade’s shoulder, his mouth open as he snores. Bucky’s arm lies across Clint’s lap.

“Are you happy?” Peter asks.

“Very,” Wade replies. “Why?”

“I just wanted to check,” Peter says.

Wade makes a low humming noise; his chest vibrates below Peter’s ear. “You ready to go home, baby?”

Peter suddenly wants nothing more than to be in bed with his boyfriend. He nods enthusiastically, and Wade stands up, his arms firmly around Peter and lifting him easily. Peter glances around the party blearily; Tony is standing off to one side, arms folded, watching the bodies strewn across the room. A lot of the furniture is overturned, largely because of Thor and Hulk, who are sat cuddled up in the middle of the floor.

Wade carries Peter out to the street. The air outside is cold and biting.

“What time is it?” Peter asks.

“It’s half twelve,” Wade replies.

“Wade!” Peter wriggles in his arms, suddenly excited, and Wade is forced to put him down on his feet. Peter grins up at him. “It’s Christmas, Wade! It’s Christmas!”

Wade grins back. His hands come up to Peter’s face, his big fingers brushing the skin of Peter’s cheeks. “Merry Christmas, Peter.”

“Merry Christmas, Wade.”

They kiss, frozen for a moment in the drifting snow. Wade’s mouth is hot, a stark contrast to the icy air, and Peter melts against him. Wade tastes of beer. His tongue presses firmly into Peter’s mouth, and Peter’s hips buck automatically, his body becoming aroused.

“Let’s go home,” Wade whispers. “We’ll have to call a cab, I guess-”

“Fuck off, we don’t need to do that,” Peter laughs. “Get up on my back.”

Wade blinks. “Peter, you cannot be serious. You’re drunk-”

Peter is already pushing his sleeves up, revealing the web-shooters.

“You’re not even wearing a mask!” Wade replies.

Peter snorts. “It’s Christmas Eve. Everyone is waiting for Santa, Wade!”

Wade fishes in his own pocket, pulling out his Deadpool mask and slipping it over Peter’s face gently. Peter breathes in the scent of leather and something else- something inexplicably, powerfully Wade. Wade places his hands on Peter’s shoulders.

“I’m ready,” he tells Peter. “God help me, I’m ready.”

“Shut up, Wade.”

Peter launches them into the air and shoots web, attaching them to the nearest building and swinging off. He’s aware of the vice-like grip of Wade’s hands on his shoulders.

“Shit!” Wade shouts as they swing in an arc, dropping a little before Peter latches them onto the next building.

The journey back is delightful; Peter was feeling sleepy at the party, but the bracing air and familiar comfort of crossing the city in this way wakes him up, helps to sober him. Wade clings onto him, swearing regularly and wrapping his strong thighs around Peter's waist.

Needless to say, Peter is aroused by the time they reach Wade's apartment.

He falls on Wade the second their feet hit the floor, pushing Wade's mask up to his nose, high enough to reveal his lips so that he can press them against Wade's face.

“It's sort of hot making out with you while you're wearing my mask, Webs,” Wade smirks.

Peter laughs. “I'll leave it on, then, creep.”

They tumble into Wade's bedroom, shedding clothes and web-shooters as they go, until they are both entirely naked in bed- apart from Wade's mask, which is pushed halfway up Peter's face.

Wade pins him easily, partly because Peter lets him, and devours his mouth in a searing, possessive kiss.

“God, I love you,” he breathes against Peter's mouth.

“I love you too,” Peter replies, and he's struck for a moment by just how true the words are.

Then Wade dips lower and swallows around Peter's cock, and all sentient thought is gone. Instead, Peter bucks his hips up, his fingers tangling in Wade's sheets as his boyfriend does sinful things with his tongue. He knows he won't last long against the relentless, hot, wet pressure of Wade's mouth, and closes his eyes, paralysed by pleasure.

“I want you to cum with my cock inside you,” Wade says suddenly, darkly, pulling his mouth off Peter's cock and grinning as Peter whimpers.

Peter nods. “Yes. Yes, please.”

Wade's fingers have sourced some lubricant from somewhere, and they dip inside Peter almost languidly, taking their time to open him up. Peter lets out a strangled moan.

“Good boy,” Wade says, and his words make Peter shiver.

Finally, he slides into Peter, filling him with a large, burning, solid length. Peter digs his fingers into Wade's shoulders and bites down hard enough on his own lip to draw blood.

“Fuck,” Peter hisses.

Wade's hand finds Peter's aching erection as he begins to plough mercilessly into his boyfriend. He pumps Peter in time with his own thrusts, and Peter throws his head back in ecstasy, finishing with a loud, helpless shout. He feels Wade tense as his own orgasm washes over him.

They lie together, sticky and sated. Wade reaches out and pulls the mask off Peter's face with a grin.

“Was that okay, baby?”

Peter replies by kissing him. “It was wonderful,” he says. “You're wonderful, Wade. I love you.”

Wade smiles. “Get some sleep, Webs. We don't want Aunt May to think I got you drunk then kept you up all night fucking you.”

Peter goes scarlet. "Shut up, Wade."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on getting my Tumblr more streamlined so I can post fic there and also take requests and whatnot so if you fancy following me I'm mxximum-effort over there.
> 
> I'll happily take requests for one-shots and whatnots over there.
> 
> Much love as always!


	6. A Million Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I can only apologise. Life continues to be wild and I've had some deadlines for big bangs to hit, too.
> 
> Hopefully I'll get back into a more regular posting schedule. Thank you for your patience!

Peter wakes up slowly, his naked body curled around Wade’s broad back. Wade is still asleep, snoring gently, and Peter reaches up to stroke his fingers gently down the back of his neck, feeling the soft and strange texture of his skin.

Wade hums softly, rolling over to wrap his arms around Peter and kiss his forehead. “Morning, beautiful. Happy Christmas.”

Peter smiles, content and peaceful. He presses his lips to Wade’s chest. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Wade threads his fingers through Peter’s hair. “Want your present?”

Peter feels blood rising to his cheeks. “Oh, Wade, you didn’t have to-”

“Of course I did,” Wade replies, his words rumbling against Peter’s head, and he slides from bed. He rummages about in the bottom of his wardrobe and retrieves a badly wrapped parcel.

Peter feels bad; in all of the excitement and horror of the past few days, he absolutely forgot to get a gift for his boyfriend. “Fuck, Wade, I didn't-”

Wade shakes his head, pressing the parcel into Peter's hands and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Webs. There's been a lot going on.”

Peter's throat feels tight and hot. Wade is sometimes such a huge cock that it's easy to forget how wonderfully sweet he can be. The intensity of his own feelings paralyses Peter for a moment. Then he smiles shakily and unwraps the paper. Inside is a soft flannel shirt in the exact same shade of red as his Spider-Man suit. It's an incredibly thoughtful gift, and Peter is grinning as he lifts it from the paper, so enraptured by it that he barely notices the small golden object that tumbles loose. Only his enhanced senses save it, and he sticks his hand out automatically to catch it.

It's a key.

“Wade…” he mumbles, and his heart is suddenly beating very quickly.

“I thought… well, if you aren't quite ready to live here all the time, I totally get that, but we spend almost all our time together and…” Wade looks scared, his bright eyes turned down to his feet.

Peter thinks about it. He adores Wade and he's happy with him. It's soon, but it's not like he's committing to marriage. “I love you,” he says. “I'd like to live with you. Or live more with you than I do now. Whatever you mean by the key.”

“I mean, I'd like you to live with me forever, but it's cool if you want to work up to it,” Wade admits with a shy grin.

Peter grins back. “Sure. I'll move my stuff over after the holidays.”

Because really, why wouldn't he? Wade is gorgeous and delightful. He's dangerous but he's good, and Peter believes he only wants the best for them.

Wade tackles him, pinning him back to the mattress and kissing him, long and hard. When he draws back, they're both panting.

* * *

The journey to Aunt May's is a strange sort of bliss. They sit in contented silence, hand in hand in the back of a cab. The driver- not Dopinder, today- is playing Christmas songs loudly on the radio, and Peter can't stop grinning. He's wearing the shirt Wade gave him beneath a soft green sweater. His fingers are looped around Wade's warm, broad hand. When their eyes meet, they both smile.

Aunt May still lives in the little house in the suburbs that Peter grew up in. The outside is covered in lights which twinkle clearly, even though it's the middle of the day. As they walk up towards the front door, Peter breathes in the scent of turkey and potatoes drifting out.

The door flies open before they reach it, and she's standing with a huge grin on her face, peering out at them from behind her thick glasses. Her white hair is tied in a knot atop her head, but many strands have fallen loose and frame her face. She's wearing a tartan apron over a smart green dress.

“Aunt May, hi!” Peter exclaims, feeling the usual guilty rush when he realises how long it has been since he last saw her. He steps forward and she captures him in a hug.

“You look very well, Peter,” she replies warmly, drawing back to look at his face closely. Her eyes twinkle. “I assume that's something to do with this young man,” she adds, looking at Wade.

“I assure you, Ma'am, I'm really quite old. It's just my skin condition that makes it hard to tell. I'm like an ageless ballsack.” Wade tells her. Peter gives him a horrified look but May bursts out laughing. “I'm Wade Wilson. It's lovely to meet you.” He offers his hand.

May releases Peter and bats Wade's hand away with enough firmness to make his eyes go round. He's no doubt stabbed people for less. But May throws her arms around him and Wade hesitates for a moment before returning the embrace. They look ridiculous and adorable, Peter's enormous boyfriend holding his tiny aunt. It's really quite sweet.

“May Parker,” May tells Wade as they draw apart. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

Wade surprises Peter for the second time that day by producing a bottle of wine from inside of his coat. He offers it to May. “Thank you so much for having us,” he says.

May grins at him, taking the wine. “Excellent. Let's get you drunk and you can tell me all about what my nephew gets up to.”

Wade looks at Peter, who feels himself blushing. Panic is rising and he shakes his head furiously.

“I can't get drunk. Medical condition. However,” Wade says slyly, “that absolutely won't stop me from giving you the gossip about Petey.”

May pats Wade on the shoulder. “I like you already. Shall we get in out of the cold? Tell me, how did you two meet?”

Wade and Peter exchange a glance.


End file.
